Talent Dialogue: Brian Clevinger & Scott Wegener (Atomic Robo)

Of the come-from-nowhere surprise successes of the last six months, Atomic Robo may be our favorite. Its accessibility, humor and charm make the book enjoyable for a very wide breadth of readers. Robo is sci-fi enough for the geeky types, historically conscious enough to intrigue the intellectual crowd, funny enough to tickle the average joe, and cute enough to be suitable for kids. This type of broad appeal is rare in comics these days. When it does surface it usually is at the cost of quality -- reaching out to all but getting a firm hold on none. Robo, however, manages to not only have something for everyone, but to also be incredibly fun and fulfilling at the same time.This is the type of title that fills voids you didn't know were there. Shame on what you're doing to yourself if you've not read this yet.

Initially planned as a six issue mini series with a possibility for future runs, the title's popularity has far exceeded anyone's expectations. Its 'hit' status has put smaller publisher Red 5 on the map and ensured readers that they'll be getting a lot more riotous Robo goodness in the near future. Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener, words and art respectively, are the puppeteers of this wonderful madness. Gentlemanly as they are they've agreed to take some time to share a few thoughts with us on the book, and about the comic landscape itself. They, like Robo, have quite a bit to say.

TOM MATTSON (Newseed): Let’s start off by just getting it out in the open – the book isn’t crap. Everyone says so. Now, we’ll get into Robo specifics more in a moment but first – one or both of you have said there was some initial concern early on that maybe everyone else (readers) wouldn’t think this concept is as fun and cool as you do. Publishers turned it down repeated times, assumingly because they didn’t see where it would fit in the marketplace. Yet, despite all you peoples’ doubt mongering, the book is finding an enthusiastic audience that’s growing by the day. From where you’ve come to be sitting now, your own initial fretting aside, do you think publishers have an accurate image and/or understanding of who comic readers are and what they’re interested in? Do you see potential or existing corners of the market that the industry just isn’t capitalizing on, or could radically expand?

SCOTT WEGENER: I think that publishers understand what their particular audience wants. But I don't think there is a single publisher who could say that their audience encompasses the entire spectrum of comic book readers. Are their areas that could be expanded on or improved? Sure I guess. But it’s not something I feel qualified to talk about. I have enough trouble just making my own book as good as it can be.

BRIAN CLEVINGER: I think publishers have a good idea of the audience they think they want. But considering how difficult it is to just get accurate sales numbers on a given title – much less to what kinds of customers those sales are going – I don’t think any publisher actually “knows” who its audience is.

There’s definitely whole swaths of the population out there right now who would get into comics were it not for all the barriers traditional comics titles and publishers have erected in the last twenty or thirty years to keep them out (among them, incomprehensible continuities, rampant sexism, unreliable street dates, schizophrenia between MEGA-EVENTS and reboots, etc.) . I’ve been saying this for years now, and it’s not a new idea, but comics are really in their second golden age. Think about it. When was the last time we had this many viable publishers? Or such diversity in titles? Yeah, okay, The Big Two and superheroes still dominate the market. Granted. But this is the first time in forty years or so since we had so many kinds of stories by so many publishers. Superheroes and the Big Two still dominate because they’ve had such a strong head-start. All we’ve got to do is produce material that will appeal to people outside the current insular market and make sure they are able to find out about that material. Even ten years ago that might’ve sounded impossible, but that’s what the Internet is for.

Which, admittedly, is trading one kind of insular market for a larger insular market, but whatever!

Whatever indeed! I do think about all this actually, and I’m stoked that you do too. And even though the idea may not be a new one, I think it has more weight and reality now than it ever has before. The biggest observations being the increasing number of viable publishers and diversity in titles, as you mention. I could name a dozen non-superhero books the average citizen could enjoy. That’s never been true before. Not only that but more of them are showing up (like Robo) and very often they’re sticking. I feel we’ve reached a point that comics are mature enough that they’re ready to step further into the mainstream public spectrum.

The biggest issue though, and you hit right on it, is finding ways for people to learn about the material and know that it may not be what they expect. How do we say, ‘look what comics are doing,’ in a way that gets the attention of the non-comic-reading public? What needs to happen for them to see that this diversity in titles is growing, and if supported will continue to do so? And that is what the Internet is for, but damn it’s a big place. This discussion, for example, appears on the Internet but will probably be seen by only two or three people who don’t already follow comics. So where/how do we do this? People aren’t coming to the comic experience – we have to take it to them. Does this put it all on sites and publications that primarily have covered other media (music, film, etc…) to absorb comics into their lineup of worth-covering topics? Is it just a waiting game until these voices may eventually decide to start putting comics in front of their audience?

BRIAN: It’s going to be an uphill battle, there’s no doubt about that. I mean, the Spider-Man movies are some of the most financially successful pieces of media ever produced in all of civilization. But did it affect the comic’s sales? Spider-Man performs about average for a Marvel or DC A-Lister, so no. But things like successful superhero movies are reminding people of these characters and getting them used to the idea that it’s okay to like them. And sci-fi shows like Heroes or Lost, whether or not they’re any good, are bringing comic book-like tropes to mainstream audiences. This isn’t something that’s going to happen overnight, but I think we’re on the right path to getting comics more read by more people and (most importantly) more kinds of people than has been the case for the last few decades.

But clearly there’s an audience out there for comics. Millions of people read webcomics. The public’s interest in reading comics is there. It’s just a matter of tearing down the barriers and producing material they want to see. It’s not that comics or print comics are in danger, it’s that the superhero genre reached its saturation point ages ago, but it’s only recently that a serious effort has been made by publishers to explore other storytelling avenues.

SCOTT: In 1954 a gaggle of uninformed, close-minded, idiots really did comics a great disservice. When the Comic Book Code was voluntarily adopted by Marvel and DC, (after a dozen or so non-compliers were ruthlessly crushed), comics were pigeonholed into being “just for kids” for almost half a century. But look at where the medium went in other parts of the world. Japan and Korea are two obvious examples. Mostly we get bombarded with their terrible kid stuff, like Naruto and Dragon Ball Z, but there is a manga or anime for everyone out there. And even that’s mostly due to our warped perception of what comics and animation are all about.

But sequential storytelling is one of our oldest forms of recording history and passing on myths and legends. Ever seen prehistoric cave paintings? Or the inside of a medieval Catholic Church –full of pictures to pass on the stories to an illiterate congregation.

I think with the rise in popularity of graphic novels and their ability to bypass Diamond’s retarded system of distribution by going straight to bookstores we’re seeing comics gain a little respectability. The Internet is probably our best tool for showing people the diversity that comic books are capable of, but not by making new comic book websites. I think the trick will be to start integrating it into the much larger pop-culture community of the web.

Looking at Robo more specifically, as the title transitions into a future of self-contained minis, how much do you find your thought process to be changing in regards to the project? Are your motives, goals, visions, and work processes much different than they were a few months ago?

SCOTT: No not really. We decided within the first week that mini-series were the way to go. With a monthly book you inevitably get stuck in a grind at some point or another. You have to get a book out, but you've really got no story to tell, or its just filler to get from one big "event" to the next. Because we are only four people, (because this books would not be what it is without Jeff Powell doing lettering and design and Ronda Pattison on colors), it’s a lot of work just to get the stories done that we feel are worth sharing. I won't waste my time on a bogus issue. I don't have time for that.

Another point to consider is how the mini-series format compliments Robo's overall story. Each future series will focus on a particular time in Robo's life, so we can visit different decades (in no particular order) and then move on to another time period without confusion. It also helps structure the larger story for us I think. It’s easy for me at any rate to know that Vol.2 is the World War II series, that Vol.4 is the Jet Age and rocket-pack wearing air pirates series, etc.

BRIAN: And future volumes won’t necessarily be self-contained in the traditional sense. The second volume focuses on World War 2, but it’s not one continuous story. Instead, we’ll see a series of “smaller” adventures that are linked to one another but are also kind of independent to one another. The idea is that any individual issue will be the perfect jumping on point for new readers while simultaneously adding to the mythos for regular readers.

You mention that you’re ‘only four people,’ and how important everyone’s contribution is. How much effort went into finding the right letterer? A bad one can ruin a comic, and a good one unfortunately tends to fade unnoticed into the background. Powell though stands out as you read as being notably great. Was he just a happy accident?

SCOTT: Actually, like everything involving Atomic Robo and our entry into comic books, it was just serendipity. I went to high school with Jeff. It had been something like eight years since we'd last spoken and I had no idea if he was still doing comic book work or even where he lived or how to contact him. It was a lot of work tracking him down but damn was it worth it! Not only do we have a guy on our team who is head and shoulders above most people in the industry, but I've been lucky enough to become friends all over again with a really great guy.

I know that inkers gripe a lot about being under-appreciated, but I think being a good letterer has got to be even worse. Like you said; when Powell does his work well, no one notices it. It’s not just that it becomes invisible, but it actually helps direct the visual flow of the page in the same way that the art does.

BRIAN: I’m pretty much completely in love with the work Jeff does for us. It’s not a coincidence that I have him letter our back up comics too. I just cannot stand to see Robo lettered by anyone else. Plus, not only does he do an amazing job, but he puts up with my constant revisions. The poor guy probably has to letter every page twice on average, but he never complains and he always puts 100% into it.

I’m curious also, sticking with the early days, did Robo’s voice and attitude change at all after you guys finalized the character’s initial design? His sketches grounded him, in more ways than one, which certainly changed Robo’s in-action abilities, but did the look effect who he was as a personality? And as a side note, can we expect to see Robo’s design undergoing any changes in the upcoming minis?

SCOTT: Well for me there were no preconceptions of who Robo was. The initial concept was Brian's brainchild, and despite his ability as a writer, his ability to explain his idea in a way that I could wrap my brain around turned out to be pretty difficult. Partially this is due to my inability to absorb words with three or more syllables in them. Partially it was due to Brian's ability to leave out small, yet crucial points -the fact that Robo should be able to wear clothes for instance. Haha!

I know that at some point the sketches I was sending and the feedback and ideas I was including altered Robo to some degree. Enough that Brian made me co-creator, but that's something he can speak to better than I can.

BRIAN: Scott’s responsible for getting Robo back to his roots. I’d been working on the idea for about ten years at that point, so there was baggage from earlier iterations. Like, he had jet boosts and blasters in his arms. And, it’s funny, because in the story notes I had worked up, he almost never used those things. So, Scott’s big idea was to get rid of them anyway. I resisted at first, but the more I thought about it the more I realized he was right.

But the core of Robo’s personality was always fairly set in stone. I mean, he grows and loves and hurts and learns and everything over time. That’s just a natural progression. But who he “is”, that’s been constant. I had the major events of his history figured out years before we worked up a character sketch. So, the changes in his design had no impact on what happened to mold him into who he was.

Robo’s central personality trait, to me, is a kind of delighted arrogance. He’s not a robot character who pines to be human. He thinks humans are great, all his best friends are human. But he really enjoys being a robot – not in a wacky Bender way, I guess it’s more a vanity. He knows going into a situation that he’s super strong and super tough. It makes him a little impatient, a little reckless. There’s a line in Issue #2, “I just used my violence on them.” That’s Robo. It’s not that he lacks the imagination for more nuanced solutions, he just knows that most of the time the fastest way to defuse a dangerous situation is to punch the guy in charge until the crisis is averted.

As for changing his design from what it is now, it just wouldn’t work. There’s the vanity I mentioned. We haven’t had much of a chance to portray it yet, but Robo considers himself to be quite handsome. So, he’d see no reason to change how he looks. And I am of the opinion that there are character designs that you just do not screw with. You ever notice how no one can come up with a Spider-Man design that has the impact and staying power of the original? They got it exactly right the first time. That’s how I feel about Robo’s design. He looks as good in the 1920s as he does in the 2020s. Changing it just wouldn’t make sense.

Brian, Scott has observed that looking back he can see his art improving considerably throughout the opening run. Do you feel you’ve gone through the same type of growth in your writing?

BRIAN: I’ve been writing comics professionally for about six years now. So, while I’m constantly trying to improve my craft, and I think I’ve gotten better at writing Robo comics specifically, the improvement isn’t terribly profound. Robo kind of hit the ground running because I was able to skip a lot of the mistakes first-time writers make because I’ve been at this for a while. It’s mostly in stuff you guys never see. Like, it’s been a while since Scott verbally slapped me around for scripting panels that can’t be physically drawn.

Do you find you’re scripting panels with less visual description than you may have before? Focusing more on the plot and arching narrative than explaining the picture you see in your head? When you became co-creators did you push the imagery ball further onto Scott’s court?

BRIAN: I’m pretty sure Scott wasn’t technically a co-creator until we were half way through at least one issue, but I’d been thinking of him as one since fairly early on. I thought his art was terrific and from sketch one of day one he had a drive to do things “right”; to make our comic as good as it could be. And it wasn’t so that people would think Scott Wegener was this great artist, or for the sake of the comic book. It was out of respect for Robo himself. Even without knowing the character that well, or being familiar with the history I’d plotted out by that time, he really got what the character was about. So, from the very start, I trusted him as an artist to do things the right way.

That said, my scripts did include more detail early on. We’d never worked together before and I’d never written a comic book script before. So, I figured, hey, better to err on the side of giving too much information, right? I’ve scaled back the details since then if only because I have a better idea of how Scott works. I’ll go into heavy detail if there’s vital information about a scene for the purposes of plot or a gag, but beyond that I give a rough sketch and let Scott fill in the blanks. And, hell, half due to my own inexperience and half due to my trust and respect for Scott as an artist, I pretty much consider my scripts to be guidelines anyway – I know he does! If he can think of a different layout that captures the spirit of what the script says, I’m happy to see the change. It’s a policy that almost constantly bites me on the ass, though. I end up re-writing about half our pages to accommodate the alterations (sometimes minor, sometimes major), and at least once per issue Scott will change something without thinking about how it impacts the timing of a gag. I shouldn’t complain, though, because in the end the re-writes have more zing than the originals.

SCOTT: I would agree with that more or less. It took a while but Brian and I have a pretty good working knowledge of each other now. And the fact that he trusts me not to screw up too badly by keeping his descriptive work brief makes me work just a little bit harder to keep that trust. Plus, like he said, I deviate from the script in every issue to some degree or another. That’s certainly not out of any disrespect for Brian’s work. It’s just that some things work better in writing than they do as an image on the page. And there have been a dozen times where we’ve been working on something and I’ve said, “Hey it would be great to do *this*, and then have Robo say –blah,blah,blah.” If we do decide to integrate those little moments into the story Brian always has to rewrite what I suggested, and it always comes back a little different, and much better. Because, hey –he’s a writer. Its what he does, right?

In Volume 2 the scripts have gotten much less dense –but that’s because we both developed the overall concept together. On Volume 1 everything was written already –except Issue #1 for some strange reason. So this time out there were months of talking through it all, developing ideas and characters, etc. I even went so far as to write an entire issues. . .well, “write” is a strong word. I plotted it out and would leave things like; “PANEL 4 –Robo punches Nazi in head and says something sarcastically Robo-like.” Or, “ROBO –blah. blah. Jerk-face, blah.” Brian took the one or two not-awful ideas I had and turned one 22 page cliché into 2 kick-ass issues.

But yeah, the script as it comes to me now is a lot more streamlined than in the beginning.

BRIAN: He’s not exaggerating about that, by the way. Scott handed me a script that literally had whole pages of “Robo says something funny here.”

Scott, tell us about the self imposed sequential art boot camp you’ve been plowing thru the last few months. Pretend we’re all really intelligent, well educated, on the level, and into technical jargon. What new elements specifically about cinematography or whatever have you adopted to your style of story telling?

SCOTT: Sequential storytelling is freakin' hard. I have learned a whole new level of respect for other comic artists. Before Atomic Robo #1, I had exactly two comic books and two very short stories under my belt. Each and every page was a struggle to complete and they all left me feeling unsatisfied, but not understanding why I felt that way. I had NO IDEA what I was doing. I taught myself to draw, so I figured that if I looked at a bunch of comic books I could figure that out too. I would literally flip through my pathetic comic collection, (which was made mostly of Hellboy, Appleseed, Golden's run on The 'NAM, and Moeller's 2 Iron Empires mini-series), looking for panels that sort of showed what the script called for and aping what I saw.

That turned out to be a giant exercise in frustration though. Copying something and comprehending it are two very different things. When I wrapped up Robo #1 I was just plain angry. I thought it looked like shit. So it was off to the book store and several weeks of do-it-yourself art school. I actually found all the books about "how to draw comic books" to be a total waste of time. Unless they come from Ben Dunn and they are about Manga, or Ben Caldwell and they are about cartooning, then they aren't worth a wooden nickel. But four books saved my life: "Setting Up Your Shots", "Grammer of The Film Language", and Don Bluth's "Art of Storyboard". "Perspective! For Comic Book Artists" was another life saver.

I guess if I can put aside my self-loathing, the early Robo art was functional. It was at least on par with a lot of other small-press books. It got the job done. But I'm a competitive person, and I'm not happy with just "getting the job done." And Robo was instantly something that I fell madly in love with. So I keep pushing to improve artistically, and try to effectively use the new storytelling language I've been learning. When I wrapped up the Atomic Robo story we are doing for FCBD I finally felt that the art was good enough for the book. Its not as good as I want it to be, but I was able to sit back after the FCBD story and feel satisfied with what I had produced. I saw where things had improved and where other things still needed improving. It’s been a very frustrating yet rewarding experience.

Something that I found incredibly informative was an exercise I was doing in which I would find a bit of art I really liked -- preferably by an artist who's style was totally different from mine -- and I would copy it, often dropping Robo into the picture in place of their character. Now just before I said that copying something doesn't mean you understand it, so while I was doing this I would really pay attention to what was going on. What was it specifically that I liked about these pieces? How is the artist using light and shadow? What can I find in here that I can adapt and integrate into my own work? etc.

Its sort of the Luke Skywalker method of teaching yourself to be a Jedi. It's giant pain in the butt, and half the time when something works you're not sure why, but every so often your have a little "eureka" moment, and that lightsaber jumps into your hand and you chop that mutha'funkin' Wompa's arm off and for five seconds you celebrate your own awesomeness.

I keep telling my wife that my next wife will be rich so I can go to art school. =D

There’s more than one manga reference mingled in there. A lot of English readers may not realize that manga they see translated in their countries is only a tiny sliver of the huge wealth of works spanning all age and interest groups that’s released in Japan. There are some striking things happening in a lot of those series, but most of those mature titles aren’t licensed and translated overseas. Some are. The point, which I’m getting away from, is that there’s some very impressive manga out there and things we can learn from them. As someone who has read manga, and is clearly pulling from it – what do you see there that American comics aren’t doing yet? And Brian, tying back in with what we were talking about earlier, as far as expanding the US comic market, would a different format like the cheap newspaperish manga weeklies in Japan have a place here?

BRIAN: American publishers have tried it. There just isn’t a market for those comics. Odd, isn’t it? Manga sales are through the roof, and you’ve got to figure at least part of that must be the format, right? But publishing Captain America or Batman or whatever in that format has always been a huge failure. The success of manga in the American market is almost entirely due to manga being perceived as something “different.” These aren’t just tired old superhero titles. These things are new. And, yeah, they’re every bit as formulaic as your standard superhero fare, but at least they’re new formulas. Manga is successful because it’s printing so much material that isn’t standard superhero stories. Manga runs the gamut of genre and styles. It’s already where American comics should have been years ago but are only now slowly crawling towards. I just hope we get there in time.

SCOTT: To a certain extent, manga and American comics are apples and oranges. Not so much in what they are, but in terms of what their audiences expect from them. It’s also a matter of what manga can do vs. our comics. I mentioned the Comic Code earlier and it comes right back to that. It basically gave American comics Downs Syndrome, and while comics owe a huge debt to the superhero genre for keeping comics alive during a time when “right-thinking” people wanted them all banned forever, those same superheroes now sort of hold us back. So I think it’s important that we continue to diversify what American comics have to offer.

The Atomic Robo web presence is particularly fun and immersive. You’ve expanded the concept of back-matter and bonus material past the physical product and into an ongoing online community. ‘Closing the gap,’ between the digital and print worlds, I believe is how one of you described it once. How much stock and labor do you intend to place in this effort? Where would you like to run with it? Have you found that you’re discovering new and different opportunities to communicate with your audience?

SCOTT: Are you writing these questions from the future? Because I don't think our website is doing all that just yet. Right now Atomic-Robo.com is little more than a fancy blog with a few doo-hickies tacked on. (That's a technical web design term.) Eventually I think that RoboDotCom should be an extension of the comic books. It’ll be a place where you can find supplemental material, info about the real-world influences for stories, background information on characters, technical files, and comics. Like a giant RPG source book for our comic. I'd also like to see a message board community. Mike Oeming -the artist and co-creator of POWERS- has what I consider to be the best example of people brought together by a comic book. People on the forum are very different but there is at the very least this one thing which they share in common, and it’s just a very lively, caring, and amusing group of people.

BRIAN: When it comes to building a readership, it is folly to ignore the Internet. We’re still limited by our complete lack of a budget or technical know-how, but we’re having a good time with Atomic-Robo.com. It’s mostly commentary on the creative process, comics in general, the typical creator blog stuff, really. There’s also a timeline that I add to when every issue comes out. My “big” plan is to include a wiki so readers can expand upon the timeline and find all the little ways the events of Robo’s life are interconnected.

I concede Scott, that perhaps the site isn’t doing all that just yet – but the talk is impressive and has me intrigued. I actually meant to mention the timeline earlier when Brian was talking about how the mini-series help structure the larger story. The more I think about it the more possibilities I see in such a thing. It seems like using the Internet really gives you an opportunity to have Robo be two books. ‘Hey everyone, here, have a bunch of fun shit to read. Oh yeah and if you’re into it – there’s a big picture, which you can look for in the book and follow online.’ The print comic gets to be a bunch of fun romps that anyone can pick up and enjoy at any stage, but for those looking to have an on-going story and meta-narrative they get to see it all pieced together sporadically on the timeline. Knowing that you’re looking to use a wiki format, can we expect to see quite a few subtle references, easter eggs or parallels between different the different time periods in the Robo comics themselves? Do you see yourself eagerly wondering if anyone will notice such-and-such sneaky little connection?

BRIAN: Ha, there’s already easter eggs in the first volume. A background detail from one issue gets a brief highlight in another. Even if you notice the parallel, there’s no clue (yet) about what it means. Ideally, it’s the first hint for a video game plot – hubris much? – but we could do it in comic format if the world is stupid and no one wants to make millions of dollars by making a Robo video game. I’ve got a couple other easter eggs planned, but in general we prefer to link things up a little more directly. Scott and I are huge fans of James Burke and his whole thing is the interconnectivity of history. So, yes, you can expect for things in one era to have impacts in another. It should be a more subtle effect than you’re used to seeing in comics. Since Robo’s continuity is effectively immune to everything that’s wrong with the continuities of every mainstream comic book character, we’ve been freed to build his history organically. It’s much more cohesive and natural than what you get out of most comics simply because we’re not 50 different creative teams working under a dozen different editorial philosophies spread over 70 years.

SCOTT: Ah James Burke . . . I reread his book Pinball Effect on the flight to and from MegaCon last week, and all this week I’ve been watching his old TV series while I work.

Generally speaking I’m too stupid to figure out the Easter eggs on the DVDs that I buy, so I don’t care too much about the website in terms of them. What I do love however, is knowing the story behind the story. How do things interconnect, what was the creative team thinking when they did A, B, and C, and also the technical bits; like a schematic of Robo’s innards, or what makes the Science-Tank a “Science-Tank”?

Ooh, schematics would be very cool. Alright, now some important stuff though. Indy 4. Thoughts? Have you seen the trailer?

SCOTT: I was gun-shy after the recent Star Wars movies. And if there was one thing I loved more than Star Wars as a kid, it was Indiana Jones. I was totally negative about Indy 4 until I saw the trailer. I am still nervous about it but a lot of my faith has been restored. And Spielberg always makes a good movie. It still irks the crap out of me that Hollywood has to keep recycling these old decrepit actors, but it was nice to see Mr. Ford looking fit and sober when they rolled him out of the stasis chamber.

BRIAN: Cautious optimism. The trailer, while pretty cool, felt a little off.

Spielberg’s presence does bring a degree of comfort though, I agree. Have you seen anything good on the big-screen recently? I unexpectedly got the opportunity to see There Will Be Blood before it leaves theaters, and I’ve been wondrously haunted by the experience since.

SCOTT: Between my 7 year old daughter, my wife's 80 year old father, and doing the art duties of two people for Atomic Robo, nights at the movies are a thing of the distant past for me. The last thing I saw was "B Movie" with my kid (it was surprisingly good) and before that i think it was Return of The King. Though considering how expensive the movies are these days I don't really miss it. I watch TONS of movies on the computer while I work. In fact I have a date with Forbidden Planet tonight. YAY

BRIAN: Yeah, There Will Be Blood was quite a movie. Lydia and I saw it weeks ago and it still comes up in conversation. I maintain that Daniel Plainview was the 19^th century’s Larry David.

Both are out of place in the world and can’t handle…these people. Anyway, thanks a bunch guys! You have anything else you want to get off your chest before we wrap?

SCOTT: Only to say thanks. Thank you to everyone who has been reading Atomic Robo. Brian and I love working on this book and we hope it shows. We really appreciate all the support and we hope to be bringing you more Robo stories for years to come.

BRIAN: Thanks to everyone who’s taken a chance on us so far. We hope we’ve made it worth your time. Also? Everything in this interview is a lie. Scott couldn’t draw a conclusion. I do all the art.

Atomic Robo's entire initial first run has been re-printed by Red 5 and is currently being re-solicited for ordering thru Diamond distributors. If you were sleeping the first time around this is an unusual opportunity to retroactively not miss out. Order codes listed below. Also keep an eye out for the upcoming trade release of these issues and get your orders in now for the second volume of the series -- 'Atomic Robo and the Dogs of War!'

Diamond Codes for Atomic Robo Reprints:

(USE JAN088148) ATOMIC ROBO #1 (OF 6)
(USE JAN088149) ATOMIC ROBO #2 (OF 6)
(USE JAN088150) ATOMIC ROBO #3 (OF 6)
(USE JAN088151) ATOMIC ROBO #4 (OF 6)
(USE JAN088152) ATOMIC ROBO #5 (OF 6)

Official Soon-To-Be-Ambitious Atomic Robo Website: Link

Wegener's Homepage & Blog: Link

Clevinger/Wegener Interview w/ Comics Bulletin: Link

Talent Dialogue: Nick Tapalansky / Alex Eckman-Lawn (Awakening)

The comic press can't deny Awakening: the dark thriller from Archaia Studios that's been making quite a name for itself the last few months. The book doesn't have to do much to stand out as its distinctive art style more than puts it in its own arena. Readers are excited to be getting something fresh and innovative, and publishers are hopefully taking cues on the quality of production we want and expect. Here to throw down some knowledge about Awakening are writer Nick Tapalansky and artist Alex Eckman-Lawn.


Tom Mattson (Newseed): Let’s talk about the reactions the book has been getting both critically and from a sales perspective. Are people buying it? Do they like it? What type of expectations did you have before the responses/numbers started coming in?

Nick: So far it’s definitely been really positive. Being put out by a smaller publisher, even one that’s got the reputation and pedigree of ASP means that, unfortunately, fewer shops tend to order the book which puts it in front of fewer people. But, then again, that’s why Al Gore invented the interweb. Between getting the word out on message boards, advance previews, our MySpace page for the book, and awesome reviews, even people who might otherwise never see the book can get into it. As a result, we even made it into the Top 20 hottest books at TFAW.com, a really great online comic shop.

Alex: So far people have been great, and really supportive. We’ve had people in other countries demanding to know how they can get issues of the book shipped to them and, sadly, people in this country who demand to know where they can get our book and why their shop isn’t carrying us (that’s a very good question, why AREN’T you stocking thousands of issues of Awakening, comic shop owner?). Basically, once people get their hands on us, they seem to want more more MORE, so that’s been really encouraging.

Nick, when you set out to write this story was this the type of art you were envisioning? When you saw Alex's work did you say, 'that's it, that's exactly what I've been picturing,' or was it more, 'hey, I didn’t know I wanted this but I sure as hell do.’?

Nick: Oh, it was definitely always something I was really looking for with the book - something moody that could, in its own way, convey as much of the story through style and execution as the script itself. I spent years looking for it and with Alex it was immediately a perfect fit.

Alex: Awww, babydoll. We were meant to be, weren’t we?

Nick: Yes my pookums. Yes.

Did the decision to work with Alex cause you to re-imagine or change your work? You’ve said you prefer script writing because you have a tendency to be more visual. Does that mean you give specific descriptions of what you want Alex to create in each panel, and if so have you approached that differently than you would have with a more traditional comic artist? How do the two of you communicate what should be on the page?

Nick: No change at all, although like with any project you definitely learn to cater to the strengths of your partner in crime – I definitely know what Alex likes to draw and I'm fully aware when I’m torturing him. As for the script process, they are pretty full scripts with a panel-by-panel description. Depending on the supreme importance of what’s going on, sometimes the panels are super descriptive whereas other times I like to give him some wiggle room. A prayer for the wild at heart kept in cages!

Alex: Yeah, Nick’s script was one of the things that made this project irresistible to me. His writing is really descriptive and, I thought, strikingly visual. He painted a clear picture of the scene before I ever picked up a pencil. Of course, being the pain in the ass that I am, sometimes I do make changes to the page if I think something will work better visually, but it’s a give and take. He wins some, I win some.

Nick: But we’re both satisfied afterwards, turn over, and go to sleep. Just don’t tell the girlfriends – they get jealous.

Alex, could you explain the process behind the art for those of us too oblivious to understand what it is we're looking at? The photo-manipulation aspects make sense but block printing? Does that mean you're literally carving each of these images into blocks, dipping them into ink, stamping them out, and then prettying them up a bit?

Alex: I’d be glad to do my best and explain. The thing is I don’t always know how I’m going to attack a page until I’m right in the middle of it. I try and get a sense of the tone, the mood of what’s happening in the script, and then see what technique makes the most sense. To clarify, I do not use actual wood blocks. The comparison has been made (by myself a few times, so I’m sorry if I’ve confused things) but the woodblock look was actually done entirely digitally. My secret’s out!

Makes sense. Using actual blocks seemed like it would take an abhorrent amount of time and effort. My mind was set to blow. Still though, what type of an undertaking is this compared to if you were doing the project with a more conventional pencil-n-paper approach? How quick are you with the digitals?

Alex: You’re right! That would be a pretty obscene amount of time/work for each page if I were really cutting blocks and stuff. Not impossible mind you, but very tough. In fact, doing it digitally is a fairly speedy process, though it does give me the opportunity to continually cut and add to my figurative block of wood. My process in general can be pretty time consuming though, since there’s a whole boatload of layering going on. I tend to add color and texture by piling on layers, until I’ve built up an image I’m satisfied with. Sometimes it can take a couple hours, other times, days. But that struggle and mystery is what keeps things fun, right?

Struggling is one of my most frequent activities. The visuals in the book are said to be an emotional representation of what people are thinking and feeling. How literal is this statement throughout the course of each issue? Does the style of art consciously shift with the moods of the story, or is that our own perception/imagination?

Alex: The look of the art absolutely does change from page to page. On a big splash I may decide to go with a more painted look or go crazy with photo manipulation and collage, while a simpler page with two characters talking may be the woodcut look. On a page with lots of action, I may feel like its necessary to bust out a pencil and draw out pieces. Hopefully it all feels cohesive because the art really supports what’s happening in the story.

How has working with Archaia been? You teamed up after slipping samples to someone at a convention, so obviously they were enthusiastic about the direction and style of the project. Since then though, how much influence (if any) have they had on the final outcome we're seeing on the shelves? Were there any aspects of the art or story they were interested in seeing changed or expanded in any way?

Nick: The guys at Archaia have been great – it’s funny, our original pitch was just something we were trying to get feedback on and Mark hooked right in. Joe Illidge, the line editor over there, has been an amazing asset to us – because of the creator owned nature of the publisher and the properties there it’s never a matter of imposing things on us but rather making suggestions and helping us to put out the best book possible. As for the story and art though, all of that is what it was when we came to them on day one.

Alex: Archaia has been really cool in terms of kind of…hm…they take a laissez-faire attitude to us for the most part, and that’s great. Every now and then we get notes from Joe telling us to fix some stupid mistake we’ve made, but no one has told us to change the direction of our book, or the way it looks. They’re really supportive and seem most interested in making great comic books. What more could we ask for!?

Alex, you turned down several comic projects prior to this one. Now that you’ve had the experience, do you think it’s one you’re interested in coming back to again? Was it what you expected?

Alex: It was and it wasn’t what I expected. It is a lot of work, and really time consuming, as I feared, but I was mostly just being a big baby about it. I think I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to handle doing sequential work (something I hadn’t done since I was about 12). I think that I’ve kind of figured out how I want to work, and things are really starting to come together. Of course I’m always learning, and I hope to always be improving, but at this point I feel fairly confident, and not as horrified as before, haha! So yeah, I’d love to do more comic book work! I’m actually working on a couple other things now. Hopefully we can talk again, when those come out!

Nick, you’ve said that horror “reflects society in a lot of ways, where you can manipulate and explore personalities. Horror offers a way to see the best & worst in people.” On the surface level I can see how that statement would apply to many of the zombie and gorewhore films in which people are reacting to unbelievably brutal life-and-death situations. Everyone has to make a black & white virtue driven decision, and we call it a statement about culture and the soul. Then, they are slaughtered in ground-breaking high definition. Awakening doesn’t seem to be quite that simple in scope however. Is there anything specific you are setting out to say about society and its members? Are the events in this story built around a particular theme you’re willing to divulge?

Nick: I can’t even begin to say how happy I am that you said “gorewhore.” Seriously. Probably one of my favorite new words.

As for the scope and theme, there are absolutely some specific statements I’m making and as the story progresses that’ll hopefully become clearer. I do have to say that one of the things I love about any creative medium is interpretation – I’ll be thrilled when it’s done and I’ve said what I wanted to but I’m even more excited to see what other people take from it. We can get a little deeper into this after the first arc is done and I’m a little more free to discuss it without spoiling the world.

Daydreamer Milon, publisher TBD. Do tell.

Nick: I wish there was more to tell there, but right now it’s still really early on. That’s a project I’m planning on delving into with my buddy Mark Holmes, another name to look out for. I’ll be back to talk more about that when it really gets moving.

Looking forward to it! Real quick, outside of work, when all this is just fun and enjoyment – do you guys read many comics? Do you follow current ongoing series, and if so which ones? If not, what’s keeping you away? Are there things you feel are missing from the current lineup of available comic titles? Either way, do you see yourself becoming more interested in reading comics now that you’ve worked in them?

Nick: I grew up on comics and I’ve pretty much maintained a healthy addiction, though my tastes have changed pretty dramatically. As for what I pick up now, it’s pretty all over the place. I’m a big fan of Umbrella Academy so far and it’s probably one of my current top picks. I’ll take a gander at whatever new horror might float my way too. Fables is another favorite, as is Perhapanauts. There are some mainstays for me, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man – I’m a pretty big Marvel whore when it comes down to it but that’s a perennial fav now in an age when some longstanding titles just aren’t reliable anymore. I’m a huge sucker for Spider-Man.

Alex: Yeah, I grew up with comics as well, though I was more into some of the early guys. I loved Jack Kirby, though I didn’t know who he was at the time. The benday dot days I guess. I took a break from comics for a long while, and then found a bunch of artists that really excited me, like Dave Mckean, Phil Hale, Kent Williams, and lately Ashley Wood, James Jean, etc. and who doesn’t love Mignola? I tend to follow artists I like more than books, I guess. I hope that doesn’t get me hated.

List three albums we should be listening to while reading Awakening.

Nick: For me? Hmmm…

1. Ghengis Tron – Dead Mountain Mouth
2. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – F#A# Infinity
3. Zero 7 – Futures

Alex: Ooooh, good question. (and good call on the Genghis Tron, Nick) I really wish I could burn a cd for everyone who picks up the book, but this will have to do for now:

1. Liars – Drum’s not Dead
2. Wolf Eyes - Human Animal
3. The Locust – Safety Second Body Last

Seriously, putting those on while reading the book will make for one INTENSE experience. What I was listening to while I MADE the book was a mix of death metal and old radio shows though. And that’s not a joke.

What can we expect from the rest of the series? Clearly there’s a great deal we don’t yet know. Just how much is still to be revealed? Will we be surprised by where things go from here?

Nick: Well, if you’re not surprised I’m going to ask where you stole my outline from. There’s a lot more to come as we slowly trek through the rest of the year in Park Falls – the first half of the series really does function as a specific arc and when that wraps up the story takes another dramatic turn. You guys are into really bright, happy stories right? Because the second half of the series is all rainbows and puppies.

Seriously.

Alex: Nick’s script is like a surprise punch in the face. You can try and get ready but it still might break your nose.

Thanks a bunch guys! We’ll check in with you again as the series rounds out this first arc and into its latter stages.

Alex: Thanks a lot, this was fun!

Nick: Thanks, Tom!

Archaia Studios have released the first three of ten issues of Awakening and it is certainly still accessible to new readers. Be sure to let your comic provider know if you're interested in checking out the next issue! For more, hit up these links:

Newseed's flamboyant review of Awakening # 3 | Link
Preview pages | Link
Awakening on Myspace | Link
Archaia Studios | Link

Talent Dialogue: Tom Kelesides / Troy Dye (Goblin Chronicles)

If you've been following coverage of the Fablewood anthology, or were in the right place at the right time on FCBD, then you may've already had a small taste of The Goblin Chronicles: a three part fantasy mini from Ape Entertainment that begins this February. We recently had the chance to read some of this story, and let us be the first to tell you - it's one you don't want to miss. Tom Kelesides and Troy Dye are the co-creators and writers responsible for this fun all-ages tale and we couldn't pass on the opportunity to get together with them and find out more.



Tom Mattson (Newseed): Right out the gate why don’t we have you set the stage a little for those who missed the FCBD release or that haven’t caught any previews yet. What’s the basic premise of The Goblin Chronicles, aside from it being a fantasy tale?

Troy Dye: The short version: A goblin nerd, an elf princess, a troll axe woman and a shape shifter thief join forces to stop a mad sorceress from destroying their world. I like to think of it as Shrek meets the Lord of the Rings with a little bit of Labyrinth and Legend thrown in for good measure.

Tom Kelesides: To expand a little, the story is set in a war-torn fantasy world under the control of an evil sorceress named the Dark Queen. The world is populated by four major races: goblins, elves, trolls, and shape shifters. The Dark Queen uses her magic to keep the Four Realms in a perpetual state of war – so that they’re too busy to oppose her will. The main character is Gorim, a young goblin boy who is a bit nerdy and does not fit in with goblin society. He befriends other kids his own age, from enemy races, and with the guidance of an ancient wizard they set out to stop the Dark Queen. While on their quest, they learn about duty, loyalty, tolerance and friendship.

Why an all age story? Do you feel innocence is something that has been lost in comics, if ever it were there? Do you have children? Personally, I can’t imagine allowing my child to read nearly any of the material I read in comics each week.

Troy Dye: I am, if nothing else, a big kid. I never outgrew monster movies, Saturday morning cartoons, video games or Disney films. I don’t have kids yet, but I have many nieces and nephews. At family gatherings, I’m more likely to sit at the “kids table” than with the adults. We wanted to craft a story that was true to the spirit of “being a kid”. An all-ages story was just a natural fit for the kind of story we wanted to tell. I think all-ages fare has been mostly forgotten or written off in the comics market. Someone needs to bring in the next generation of comic book readers. We hope to contribute to those efforts. Having said that, our story is all ages, but it doesn’t talk down to the reader. I think our story will resonate with adults just as much as it does with kids and teens.

Tom Kelesides: We wanted to tell a story that, at its core, was just pure and simple fantasy fun. Not something bogged down with gratuitous violence, nudity or muscle-bound meat heads. There are plenty of titles out there that have that. Don’t get me wrong, we love some of that stuff, but we wanted to take a different approach. I truly believe that this is the kind of story I can recommend to just about anyone I know.

Goblin Chronicles is said to be inspired by ancient mythology & European folklore. How directly and literally ‘inspired’ are we talking? Are these transparent and/or obvious influences? Will we recognize places, figures, and events, or is it more subtly inspired by tone and theme?

Troy Dye: I grew up reading books on myths and folklore. Stuff like Bulfinch’s and Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, Katharine’s Briggs’ Encyclopedia of Fairies, Brian Froud’s Faeries, and let’s not forget TSR’s Deity’s and Demigods. Just about every character has some loose association with myth and legend. Some influences may be obvious, but most are not. In one instance, we had to modify a legend a bit -- as was the case with a gender change for a particularly wicked water boogie.

Tom Kelesides: I’m Greek, so I grew up on a healthy diet of Greek Mythology. Most of the characters were inspired by legend, not necessarily places or events. Like in most myths, you may recognize “The Hero’s Journey” as described by Joseph Campbell.

Tell us about having a co-writer.
Where’d you two connect and what does the other bring to the table?

Troy Dye: Having a co-writer is great, as you have someone there to bounce ideas off of. You can’t beat instant feedback. The collaborative process allows you to cycle through several ideas quickly, tossing aside the garbage and keeping the good stuff.

Tom Kelesides: Writing is work, so having someone there to talk to and joke around with makes the process fun. Also, we’re good at different aspects of writing. My weaknesses are his strengths and vice versa. It works out quite well. It’s nice to have someone to pick up the ball whenever you drop it.

Though the actual series doesn’t begin until February, you’re still finding ways to get TGC out there beforehand both with the FCBD story and the prelude to be featured in the Fablewood anthology this January. How did your involvement in these events/projects come about?

Troy Dye: David Hedgecock and Brent Erwin, the publishers at Ape Entertainment, have been very supportive of The Goblin Chronicles. They invited us to contribute to their FCBD comic and we jumped at the chance. As a result, we’ve received several great reviews of the story. My favorite was “the short included there was in my opinion the best of the package, being better than my own if I do say so myself.” That was posted by the talented Skipper Martin, who also contributed a great FCBD story based on his comic Bizarre New World -- which is a phenomenal read.

Tom Kelesides: As for Fablewood, William Ward, the editor and contributing writer of the Fablewood Anthology, was accepting submissions for his graphic novel. David at Ape encouraged us to submit a story, so we did. William liked what we turned in and the rest is history. William has been working extremely hard to promote Fablewood – which also benefits our upcoming miniseries. We’re grateful to William for giving us this opportunity.

Looking at the experience of Fablewood specifically, how has it been working with that team? What type of opportunities does an anthology structure provide you as a writer that you may not have had otherwise?

Troy Dye: It’s been a great experience working with William and team on Fablewood. I know William has been putting in long hours promoting on forums, doing interviews, calling retailers, etc. It shows that he has 100% commitment to this project. I take my hat off to him. This guy is trying everything he can in his power to get the word out. That’s dedication.

Tom Kelesides: Contributing to an anthology is a great way to get your stuff out there with minimum hassle. Putting a full-length book together takes a lot of time, money, and energy. Since a short story is smaller in scope, it’s less time consuming. It was nice to see the finished product in a relatively short amount of time. A short story is a great way to get your name out there. I strongly recommend this avenue to all aspiring comic book writers and artists.

Fablewood is focused on exploring the fantasy genre. The Goblin Chronicles is a fantasy tale. Perhaps it’s prudent to ask what you consider to be at the heart of a truly great fantasy story. Why fantasy? What’s the power there?

Troy Dye: When I think about why I like books like Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”, Martin’s “A Game of Thrones” and Hobb’s “Assassin’s Apprentice”, it’s because of the rich and interesting characters. The reader must identify with the characters in order to get them to invest hours of their time reading your story. What’s the power of fantasy? I think the genre offers you a real disconnect with reality; more so than any other genre. With magic, the possibilities are endless. It’s the ultimate wish fulfillment.

Tom Kelesides: The heart of any great story is the characters and how they handle the situations they are in. Can the reader sympathize? Do they care? A good story is a good story, regardless of genre. However, fantasy has the added benefit of taking us to a different world, playing with magic, and fighting monsters. That appeals to the kid in most people. I think the reason the fantasy genre is so powerful is because it is a direct result of old Greek, Norse, and Egyptian mythology. These are stories that have been with us for thousands of years. I think its natural for anyone who loves mythology to love fantasy.

The story of the hero is an old one, and fantasy allows us to place our heroes in a world where they can still do fantastic things. Also, it allows us escape the mundane world that we live in and indulge in all of our wildest flights of fancy.

How big a role do the characters and events in the FCBD and prelude stories play in the issues coming in February?

Troy Dye: The FCBD story centers one of the main characters in the miniseries, Gorim the goblin. It gives the reader insight into why he wants to become a gadgeteer – that’s goblinspeak for inventor.

Tom Kelesides: It’s a stand alone prequel story, so you don’t need to read it to enjoy the miniseries. The other characters in the FCBD story (his parents and his mentor, Tinker) play minor roles in the miniseries.

The two of you set up Archon Comics, a studio in Los Angeles. At this point you’ve announced no planned releases past the initial three issue Goblin Chronicles run. Will we be seeing more of these characters or this universe in the future?

Troy Dye: That is a definite possibility. It all depends on how well sales go. We already have material written for a second miniseries. If sales are good, we’ll proceed with the art. I absolutely love the characters and the setting. So I hope we get the chance to tell more stories.

Tom Kelesides: We’re playing with the idea of translating TGC into a novel. There’s so much more detail, background info, and story we can delve in to if we were writing this as a novel. Comics are our primary focus at the moment though.

With or without more of TGC, what can we expect from Archon down the line? Are you interested in doing work outside the fantasy realm?

Troy Dye: We intend to add more creative folk to the Archon stable in the near future. Our focus has been on TGC for the past year or so, but once we get the first miniseries on its way, we intend to grow Archon comics into a small studio of highly-motivated comic creators. I envision Archon Comics as a place to assemble creative teams for submissions, a vehicle in which to promote ourselves, and make new friends. We are definitely interested in creating comics outside of the fantasy genre.

Tom Kelesides: We love fantasy, but it is by no means the only genre we wish to work with. We have a few other irons in the fire, but right now we are focusing on TGC. We are not exclusively “all-ages” either. Although we feel the industry needs more all-ages comics, we’re also big fans of adult sci-fi and horror. We’d like to play with the genres as well.

The Goblin Chronicles story in Fablewood look stunningly beautiful. Collin Fogel (art) and Dustin Evans (colors) have really pulled out all the stops and put together an impressive display. Where’d you find these guys and are there any plans to bring them back on future projects?

Troy Dye: On behalf of Collin and Dustin: Thanks! I met Collin through Digital Webbing. It’s funny, because Collin didn’t post his art, someone else did. His style was exactly what I was looking for, so I emailed him and here we are. Collin is a consummate professional. Even though he has a demanding day job as a video game artist, he really came through by turning in great pages on a regular schedule. Dustin Evans is Ape’s “go to” man for colors. David Hedgecock recommended Dustin to me because he’s dependable and was doing an awesome job on Gargoyles, which David also pencils for SLG. Dustin also did bang-up colors on our FCBD story. I am definitely going to work with Dustin again. Will Terrell does our colors for the miniseries. They’re unbelievable. Will has a unique and fresh style that’s ridiculously cool. Will is the total package, because he can pencil, ink, and color, too.

Tom Kelesides: We would work will all of these guys again if they would have us. They did a great job. We went through several artists who proved to be unreliable before we assembled this team. Colin is awesome and has a great work ethic. It really all came together once we had a reliable artist who would illustrate our story the way we liked. Dustin and Will’s colors really gave life to the art. It’s incredible what these guys have done.

Is there any truth to the rumor I just made up that you found such incredible artists to overcompensate for your own shortcomings?

Troy Dye: Why you son-of-a-bugbear! Did Skipper tell you that? Or was it Ward?

Tom Kelesides: Absolutely not! The greatness of our artists is only surpassed by our own. However, I will add that a good reliable artist who can follow instructions and take criticism is worth his weight in gold!

Stepping back from all of this for a bit, what’s your big picture? As a writer are comics your focus or just a small part of what you want to be doing over the course of your career?

Troy Dye: Right now I’m obsessed with comics. I absolutely love the format. I originally got the writing bug through writing prose and screenplays, so we may re-visit those mediums at a later date. But for right now, it’s all about comics.

Tom Kelesides: We love comics, and would be happy doing only comics if we could make a good living at it. However, we would also like to try our hand at screenplays and novels at a later date. We’ll see what opportunities come our way.

What’s your history with comics? Did you read them as a kid? Do you follow them now? Do you have any general comments on the ‘state of the industry,’ or any current series? If nothing else, could you make a guess as to why Hollywood can’t put out a third installment in a successful comic-inspired franchise that isn’t just utter trash?

Troy Dye: I’ve been reading comics since I was a wee lad. I think my first comic was an adaptation of the movie Aliens. I also remember picking up Arak, Son of Thunder and early issues of the original Firestorm series. I still read comics voraciously today and follow the industry closely. As far as the state of the industry, I’m encouraged that sales numbers are up in general, but bummed that independent publishers seems to be have less market share than they have in previous years. All the mega crossover events are kicking the little guys in the nether regions. Ouch, I say! Why cant Hollywood out a good third installment of a comic-inspired franchise? I dunno … maybe because lightning rarely strikes in the same place twice, let alone thrice. I think it tough making three successful films in a row, period. Good movies are just rare these days. Maybe I’m just jaded because I’m disappointed with about 8 out of 10 movies I see. Too many chefs in the kitchen, perhaps?

Tom Kelesides: I started reading comics when I was 6 years old. Saturday morning cartoons made me a fan of the Super Friends, when I started reading, I picked up comic books on all of my favorite super heroes and it just grew from there. I continued to read comics into my teens, twenties, and now my thirties. The biggest barrier to comic books is that they’re too expensive. They do not provide enough bang for your buck. That is the challenge that the industry is facing today. There are many different types of media all competing for our money. It all breaks down to economics. A comic book costs on average $3.50 and takes 10 minutes to read. A movie at the cinema costs $10 and keeps you entertained for two hours. A good video game offers even greater value. So, as you can see comic books are up against some real stiff competition. As for why Hollywood can’t put out a third installment worth seeing, my best guess is nepotism within the studios, and the fact that many of the big executives who make the decisions are probably out of touch with the whole genre. But third installments are not the only victims of this. The new Superman movie that came out was a heaping pile of dung! The TV show, Smallville, is very well done and I am a huge fan. I love the way they portray Lex Luthor on that show. However, in the movie, they made Lex into an imbecile. They obviously surrounded themselves with a bunch of bootlicking “yes-men" when they wrote and filmed that movie!

Anything else you want to get off your chest before we call it a segment?

Troy Dye: You can pre-order the Goblin Chronicles in December 2007 at your local comic shop. It will be in stores in February 2008. It’s a three-issue miniseries, in full color, with 30 pages of story and art in each issue. The first issue has a variant cover by Jack Lawrence (Lions, Tigers and Bears). The second issue has a variant cover by Tim Seeley (Forgotten Realms). The third issue has a variant cover by Joe Suitor (Monoluminant). Please support your local comic shops and don’t forget to buy other fun Ape Entertainment titles.

Tom Kelesides: Yes, I want everyone to run out and demand that their local comic book store order dozens of copies of The Goblin Chronicles! Visit www.TheGoblinChronicles.com for more information. Go to www.ApeComics.com for other fine Ape comics. Don’t forget to pick up the Fablewood Anthology in stores in January or pre-order your copy today (order code: NOV07 3306).

Thanks very much for your time guys. The Goblin Chronicles look wonderful and we’re really looking forward to February.

Troy Dye: Thanks for your time!

Tom Kelesides: From one Tom to another … thanks!

Be sure to browse the links Tommy K. mentioned above which lead to some great preview art, or click below to go straight to the FCBD story, available on the Archon website. Order these books, you deserve this type of stuff.

Goblin Chronicles: "The Goblin Gadgeteer" FCBD Story | Link

On the Horizon: Fablewood

As you might have heard whisper of lately, Ape Entertainment is publishing a comic anthology this January titled Fablewood. The project is conceived around the notion of bringing the magic of Fantasy back to comics, exploring not only swords, sorcery and epic heroes but hopefully finding much more along the way. Says the Fablewood team, "Magic is not just spells and wizards - it can also refer to a feeling [or] an experience." It's cheesy sentimental statements like this that lead to fantastic work, and that's certainly appearing to be the result here.

The project brings together a wealth of talents including up-and-coming names you know as well as newcomers you'll soon be glad to (believe us). If you've followed the Flight series you understand what a compelling read an anthology collection can be. Fablewood is looking to be at least as good, as you'll soon understand when you take a peek at the preview pages below.

We're so excited about this release that we're planning a series of previews and discussions with contributing writers and artists. We're not the only ones amped either, as creators are lining up to be a part of Fablewood and a follow-up book is already said to be on the horizon. We wanted more information, but there wasn't any to be found. So we asked for it. Willing to donate his time and knowingness was editor William Ward. He said the following;

Tom Mattson (newseed): You’ve said that Fablewood was designed with the intention of reintroducing the fantasy genre to comic books. What does this mission mean to you personally? Is this dear to your heart and something you initially set out to accomplish or was it more of a torch that you took up over time?